| Earlier this week, Representative Rush Holt cited the mass undervoting in a section of Florida's 13th district as evidence the nation needs verifiable voting. Some voters in this area have complained the race was not on their screens, while it is likely the odd placement made the race hard to find. (Notice it is page 2, carrying over from the other FEDERAL race on page 1.)
But this was not a minor problem for a few absent-minded voters. In his press conference, Rep. Holt reminded, "More than 18,000 votes were uncounted in a race separated by less than 400 votes." Voters did not receive receipts (Good eye, FogerRox) left no paper trail to investigate their undervotes in the race, and their complaints have fallen on deaf ears. Like Holt said, "Without a voter-verified paper audit trail, no satisfactory resolution is possible. One side or the other will always doubt the result."
Tomorrow, Florida will certify the Republican as the winner, and some are asking whether there are other paths to recourse. This informative thread over at Kos asks whether a new election is possible. In the comments, readers cite the precedents of Indiana 8 in 1984 and New Hampshire Senate in 1974. In these cases, the federal government helped resolve the matter while the states sat on their hands. In the former, the House refused to seat either member until they reviewed the case and determined the winner qualified. In the latter case, the Senate was petitioned to review the matter and the two candidates agreed to a new election.
If the House refuses to seat the member from Florida 13, as Kos reader gatordem comments, "Under Florida law, the governor is required to call a special election to fill the vacant seat." But of course, a member of the House has to lead that effort.
As a nationally recognized voter-advocate, Representative Holt is the natural choice for such a job. He should strongly consider taking the lead. Contact his office here. |
